and interim president and chief executive officer. On July 11, 2018, it was announced that Halsey Moon Cook Jr. will take the helm as Milliken's next President and CEO, Effective September 1, 2018. Harold Chandler will continue in his role as chairman of the board. Most Ethical Company Claim As of February 2020, Milliken & Company celebrated 14 years as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies", according to the Ethisphere Institute which describes itself as "a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices." However, the Ethisphere Institute has been criticized by the Los Angeles Times for accepting money from the companies they rate. The integrity of the rating methodology used by the Ethisphere Institute was called into question by an article in Slate magazine. Manufacturing base Milliken & Company has more than 7,000 associates and operated over 40 manufacturing facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico and China. Milliken serves a variety of industries including healthcare, transportation, building and infrastructure, hospitality, industrial manufacturing, architecture and design, and specialty chemicals. Industrial musicals From 1956 to 1980, Milliken sponsored an annual company musical, the Milliken Breakfast Show, at the Waldorf-Astoria for its buyers to launch the new season. Stars who appeared in these productions included Ginger Rogers, Rene Auberjonois, Dom DeLuise, Bert Lahr, Ann Miller, Gwen Verdon, Dorothy Loudon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chita Rivera, Donald O'Connor, Juliet Prowse, and Tommy Tune. The cost of these productions could exceed the cost of a public Broadway show. For example, the 1970 production on the lighter side of garment manufacturing life, directed by Peter Howard, cost nearly $1 million for 13 performances, with an audience of approximately 25,000 Milliken buyers. No recordings of these musicals are known to exist. Advertising The company produced ads in the 1970s until the 1990s with Barbara Mandrell featuring the company's chemically treated fabrics under the name Visa "America's freedom fabric" as was the slogan. References External links Milliken & Company Website Milliken Healthcare Products, LLC Website Privately held companies based in South Carolina Textile companies of the United States Companies based in South Carolina Companies based in Spartanburg, South Carolina